Envisioned by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah as a replica of heaven on earth, Hyderabad bore the brunt of Aurangzeb`s fury and after a long period of neglect, rose to the the capital of the expansive Deccan province. The City witnessed the phenomenal expansion of the province under Asaf Jah I, as also the dissipation of his legacy. Pampered in her childhood, glamorous when young, the city changed utterly over the years and now recounts her moments of excitement and bouts of depression. This of popular history, with the rigour of historiography.